This is an important point of practice for us. If we contemplate
the holes and entrances of our nose and ears and the rest, we
can see that they are all the same, just orifices filled with
unclean substances. Or are any of them clean? So we should
contemplate this in the way of Dhamma. The truly fearful is
here, nowhere else. This is where we humans lose our minds.

对我们而言，这是一项重要的修行课题。用心去检视自己耳、鼻以及身体上其他的
孔窍，会发现他们其实大同小异，不过是身体的上的小洞，里头还藏污纳垢。 所
以，用佛法的观点来看，没有别的地方，比这儿更可怕，我们的心就是迷失於此。


Just this is a cause, a basic point of practice. I don’t feel
that it’s necessary to ask a lot of questions of anyone or
interview a lot. But we don’t investigate this point carefully.
Sometimes I see monks heading off carrying the big glot, walking
here and there under the hot sun, wandering through many
provinces. When I watch them, I think, It must be fatiguing.

这是一个因，一项修行的根本重点。我认为没有必要逢人便问一堆东西，也不必花
太多时间和禅师晤谈。问题就出在，自己没有好好地慎思明辨，有时候，看到比丘
顶著大钵，不畏烈日当空，川州越省四处云游。我看了看、想了想，他们一定很疲
累吧。


“Where are you going?”
“I’m seeking peace.”
 I don’t have any answer for that. I don’t know where they can
seek peace. I’m not disparaging them; I was like that too. I
sought peace, always thinking it must be in some other place.
Well, it was true, in a way. When I would get to some of those
places, I was a little bit at ease. It seems people have to be
like this. We always think some other place is comfortable and
peaceful. When I was traveling I saw the dog in Pabhakaro’s
house. They had this big dog. They really loved it. They kept it
outside most of the time. They fed it outside, and it slept out
there too, but sometimes it wanted to come inside, so it would
go and paw at the door and bark.

“你们要去那儿？”
“我们在找平静。”
我既没给予指引，也不知道他们到那儿可以找到平静，并非是瞧不起，而是自己以
前也跟他们差不多，总以为可以在别的地方找到平静，就某个角度来看，那倒也没
错。我也曾在别的地方获得些微的自在，大家好像都是这样的，老是觉得别的地方
舒适又宁静。有一回旅行途中，在巴哈卡罗寺里看到一条狗，这只大狗是寺内里所
豢养的，而且颇得众人的疼爱，狗儿大半都养在寺外，吃睡也都在外头，不过，这
狗三不五时想溜进寺里，就在门口又扒又吠的。


That bothered the owner, so he would let it in, then close the
door behind it. The dog would walk around inside the house for a
while, and then it would get bored and want to go out again:
back to the door, pawing and barking. So the owner would get up
and go to let it out. It would be happy outside for a little
while, and then want to come back in, barking at the door again.

此举令狗主人困扰不已，只得让它进来，再把房门关上，狗儿在房里绕来绕去，没
一会儿工夫，就开始无聊起来，又想要出去，走回大门，又是扒，又是吠，狗主人
只好下床，把它放出去。狗在门外快活一阵子，又想要进来，於是再度对著门扒
啊，吠啊。


When it was outside, it seemed like being inside would be
better. Being inside was fun for a spell, then it was bored and
had to go out again. The minds of people are like that--like a
dog. They are always in and out, here and there, not really
understanding where the place is that they will be happy.

狗儿身在屋外，觉得待在屋里似乎更好些，进了屋子乐没几下子，又感到无聊，非
出去不可，我们的心就像那样- 就像那条狗，总是忙进忙出，这儿也不是，那儿也
不是，搞不清楚何处才是快乐的所在。


If we have some awareness of this, then whatever thoughts and
feelings arise in our minds, we will make efforts to quell them,
recognizing that they are merely thoughts and feelings. The
grasping attachment to them is really important.

一旦对此有了些许的觉察，不管心里头升起什麽念头，什麽情绪，我们要设法去平
息，体认到念头不过是念头，情绪只是情绪，那个抓著念头、情绪不放的执著，才
是真正的重点。


~~未完待续~~